Choudary Virk, 22, was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for robbing four New York City taxi drivers at knifepoint over an eight-day period in February 2023, during which he stabbed one driver. U.S. District Judge Margo Brodie handed down the 60-month sentence followed by two years of supervised release and mandated outpatient drug treatment for Virk’s opioid addiction.

Virk pleaded guilty in September to a federal charge of robbery, admitting to all four incidents that took place in Brooklyn and Queens. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven to nine years, while Virk’s defense argued that the time he has already served—nearly three years on Rikers Island and at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center—should count as time served.

According to court records, Virk committed the robberies between February 17 and February 27, 2023. The first incident occurred after he took a cab from Sunset Park to Brighton Beach, where he held a knife to the driver’s neck and demanded $150. In subsequent attacks, Virk continued targeting taxi drivers, holding knives at their necks and seizing cash amounts ranging from $50 to $450.

During one robbery on February 25, a driver in Jamaica attempted to defend himself by striking Virk with a bottle after being threatened with a knife. Virk responded by stabbing the cabbie multiple times in the arm and back, one wound requiring six stitches. Following the attack, Virk flagged down another cab and robbed that driver, stealing $60 and the vehicle’s dashcam.

Virk’s lawyer, David Gray, characterized the crimes as acts of desperation stemming from a severe opioid addiction that began around age 19. Gray detailed a troubled upbringing, stating that Virk emigrated from Pakistan to Brooklyn at age 12 and endured exploitative conditions under his uncle’s control. According to the defense, Virk was confined to his uncle’s basement, forced to work long hours for minimal pay, and was subjected to physical abuse. It was only after three years that he was allowed to attend high school, where his addiction to Percocet reportedly began.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kamil Ammari acknowledged Virk’s youth and substance abuse issues but emphasized the trauma experienced by the victims, noting the fear and violence inflicted upon them. Ammari also pointed to Virk’s disciplinary infractions while in custody, including inmate altercations and threatening behavior toward correctional officers, as well as evidence of coercing a cellmate for money.

At sentencing, Virk apologized to the victims, his family, and the court, stating that incarceration had likely prevented his death from overdose. “I had two times overdosed,” he said. “If I had three times I could have died.”